Mobile Computing, gardening and occassional fishing strategies

Acer’s new A7600U UR11 all in one (AIO) desktop with its large crisp 27-in touch screen earns a big “Huzzah!”from me
After using this new AIO for the last two weeks I’ve developed some strong opinions. Right upfront, I feel the 7600U’s hotrod configuration makes it an ideal platform for its Windows 8 touch interface The base configuration 8GB (expandable to 16GB)of system memory, A 2GHz Intel multicore processor, a 1TB SATA drive, nVidia’s GeForce GT640 video controller with 2GB of dedicated video memory, an integrated Blu-ray drive and snd 2GHz Intel multicore processor packs the power and performance needed to deliver a top-flight entertainment experience. This systems 27-inch screen has a maximum resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. The unit supplied to me by Acer for this review has an SRP of $1,899, but is offered for less by some online retailers.
Acer’s new touch interface AIO offers a feature that’s not found on other new 27-inch all-in ones; its screen can be tilted horizontally, which allows the user to share displays as if it were a tabletop Microsoft Surface computer I believe this feature is something that can really enhance presenting information applications such as Google Earth, PowerPoint or entertainment presentations delivered to limited groups.
The A7600U has great connectivity; great Wifi, six open USB connectors, HDMI, and microphone and speaker jacks plus a multi card reader. It ships standard with a low profile multimedia keyboard and mouse with an extended palm rest. I think both are improvements over what Acer and its other brands have shipped with their AIOS.
In addition to anti-virus protection, a trial version of Microsoft Office, this all-in-one also includes a subscription and access to Acer Cloud, the PC maker’s virtual storage site.
Acer’s high end All-in One is based on a stunning 27-inch (diagonal) display. The Acer A7600U UR11 screen’s is one of the brightest I’ve seen on any all-in-one I’ve tested and its resolution enhances the overall user experience. One small complaint I have about the use of this desktop as an entertainment system for small groups is this: I wish its audio system had greater volume.
If you move up to this desktop, take the time to read the instructions that come in the box. Be aware there some things that are very different about the A7600U. First the power cord plugs into the end of this machine’s support stand. Also there is no conventional power switch on this all-in-one. To turn it on, you need to swipe its power bar (located above the upper right corner of the screen towards the center of this desktop. It’s an interesting experience that took me about four tries to get right. The A7600U can also be turned on by using the Windows key on the keyboard.
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I like the appearance and rugged construction of this desktop. It has a flat black plastic case with a chrome plastic accent on its back Initially, I thought moving to the new 27-inch screen form factor would require new office furniture. I was wrong as this system is only two inches longer t than my Sony Vaio W AIO and fits comfortably on my office desk.
I am not a fan of Windows 8 Metropolitan user interface. I suppose I’ll get used to it very quickly, but overall, I find it’s not very intuitive. On the plus side, the A7600’s configuration has the raw horse power needed to blast pixels wherever they are needed on the screen and this machine is one of the best 27-inch all-in-ones I have ever seen.
So, how does Acer’s 27-inch A7600U-UR11 stack up? It’s a hot rod all in one that delivers a great user experience, and it’s rock solid. It’s not as svelte as Apple’s iMac27 (which is $100 less than thia Axert systen), and it lacks the bundled software that sets Apple’s Mac family apart from all other desktops in this category. Having said that, I believe Acer has set a new mark with this computer and I recommend it highly.—Jim Forbes, 02/20/2012.

Lois raised all of her children in Azusa but moved toEscondido in 2008. Throughout her life she remained deeply connected to AzusaCanyon, where she lived as a child at the site of present day Camp Williams.She was one of a handful of long time Azusa residents who attended Azusa’sfirst elementary school, the Lee School. She was a lifetime member of the PTAin Azusa.

No services are scheduled and her sons will return herremains to her beloved East Fork.—Jim Forbes, Escondido, CA on 10/07/2012.

While the desktop computer category has been caged by low growth numbers, a component piece of that overall market is being boosted by the addition of new technology and the expected release later this year of Microsoft’s new operating system, Windows 8.

The portion of the desktop computer market that’s growing is the all-in-one (AIO) sub segment. All-in one computers, combine screens and computer components in the same package. Until recently, many AIO desktops have been based on souped up notebook designs driving 23- to 25-inch touch screens.

A handful of PC makers are in the top tier of the AIO market: Apple, Acer, Hewlett Packard, Lenovo and Sony all established and expanded early beachheads in the category, Apple’s IMac family—which includes a model with a 27-inch screen—is particularly noteworthy for designs that are beyond desktop implementation of notebook technology and its iLife software suite, which allows users to engage in virtually any activity, as soon as an iMac computer is unboxed and plugged in.

But other traditional computer makers in the AIO category aren’t far behind Apple with new machines sporting large screens, state of the art processors, gobs of video memory and large500 to 1TB) disk drives. HP in particular now offers eight AIO desktops including the recently announced HPZ1 Workstation, which is powered by Intel’s quad-core 3.3 GHz Xeon processor

All in ones like the HPZ1 could be designed for specialized computing such as financial trading or other numerically intensive computing chores and are being introduced at pricing of about $2,300,( more than twice the price of other all in ones equipped with multi-core Intel processors, 1TB hard disk drives and 23 inch touch screens.

Sony’s AIOs also reflect some of the obvious changes coming to this category. Sony was among the first wave of PC makers to make 24-inch touch screens standard and to focus on the use of the form factor as entertainment platforms. Sony’s L Series all-in-one introduced a novel webcam technology that forces the webcam to focus on a subject’s face if that person moves around in a room.

But the real company to watch in the all-in-one market may be Acer, which has used its Gateway and eMachines brands to pioneer new price points in the category. Acer is doing much more than competing on price for all-in-one market share. At a recent trade show in Taipei, Republic of China, Acer launched a family of new all-in-ones, including one member, the Aspire7600U which with a pivoting 27-inch screen that supports touch inputs from more than one user. In addition the new Acer machines can be used in a flat table top mode.

Other mainstream PC makers including portable computer veteran Toshiba have joined the assault on the all-in-one market. Microsoft’s release of Windows 8, which touts a touch interface, could boost and drive further innovation in the AIO, convertible and tablet computer segments. If Acer’s new 7600U and other thin panel all-in-ones are any indication of what’s coming down the Windows8 pike, desktop computing could outlive the predictions of its imminent death.—jim Forbes,06/11/2012.

When it comes to my gardening, I can be ruthless and cold-blooded. If a vegetable doesn’t thrive after bfor a month, I have a simple policy; it’s unceremoniously plucked from the ground.

This weekend I noticed the enemy vole army had attacked my broccoli, so I pulled their withering cadavers and put the greens under my peach tree, where my local cottontails gather in the morning sheltering from hungry birds of prey.

Clearing space in my garden is a very good thing. I get to try new plants and every year I learn a lot more about what my garden can and cannot produce. Rather than lose more young seedlings to tunneling voles, I proned out this evening above my garden waiting for the voles to surface; with my loaded and cocked Beeman pellet rifle.

When it comes garden predator control I have two choices, Type One poisons such as strychnine or sharpshooting sharp. A well placed high velocity pellet doesn’t have produce downstream effects in the produce I grow and eat, and the damn voles don’t suffer when you shoot them in their little buck toothed heads.

I’ll come back to my wanton slaughter of voles in a momentbut what I wanted to write about is something I’m growing for the first timethis year, a hybrid cucumber called the “Perfect Pickle.”

I've already been wanred; I may need to string the Perfect Pickle hybrid on trrellises because they have the reputation for bing verdant producer. SoI'm of to Hiome Depit later this moning to buy some PVC to make yet more frames for some lanky vegetables.

I’ve graved trout and salmon but I’ve never pickled produce.This summer, I want to make kosher dills and pickled Mexican onions. Pickling is a, a process I understand. I havemy supplies stored in the garage and expect to begin pickling sometime in lateJuly or early August after my three new cucumber plants bear.

My garden is a source of extreme enjoyment. I enjoy makingdinner for my family with ingredients I grew just 50 feet from my house and Ilove working in the dirt and seeing my plants grow.

Apparently the local meadow mice (aka “the enemy voles”)like my vegetables too. Unfortunately for them, I’m better armed and still avery good shot. So what do you do with a vole or gopher carcass?

I’m thinking about turning them into cases for eye glasses. Can’tyou just imagine the listing on eBay?, “Gardener’s Revenge glasses cases—includessnout/latch so you never lose your glasses.“

I hate the damn voles about as much as I dislike thevisiting diamondbacks who show up here in the summer—Jim Forbes May 6,2012.

Demo 2012Spring kicks off in about three weeks. The two day conference begins on April 17 at the Hyatt Regency in Santa Clara, CA. Under executive producer Matt Marshall, Demo’s overall attendance is surging, resulting in more potential investors for demonstrator companies who launch products at Demo branded events.

By way of disclosure I should explain I am intimately familiar with Demo and its pitches because I was a Demo event producer for many years. I still retain a strong loyalty and affinity with Demo and attend two shows a year as a blogger. Now that wasn’t very hard, was it?

New technology demonstrations are the heart and soul of Demo and getting the Demo “just right” takes a lot of work. There are two types of Demonstrations at this venerable show, full blown six-minute pitches from startups that are most often less than one year old ad 90 second “Alpha Pitches” from even younger companies not yet funded.

Good Demonstrations can’t be poured onto s stage spot from a foil packet or a sous vide pouch. They need to be carefully blended to show how a young company’s products address a new market opportunity or how it will disrupt existing or emerging categories. Delivering the right presentation for an audience comprised of private or institutional investors and top-ranked business reporters and bloggers is like trying to convince some whose idea of a big treat is burger and fries that they need to open up their taste buds and wallets and experience molecular gastronomy.

It’s a hard task, but Demo is the ideal show place for such attempts.

Over the years, Demo has seen its share of demonstrators that seldom go farther on stage than gee whiz canned demos. The Demo stage has also been the home of home run demonstrations that resulted in funding immediately after or during the show.

Really successful on-stage demonstrations share a couple of basic traits; they immediately position a product or company in a category or they show precisely how a product or technology dovetails with trends and opportunities. But most importantly, they engage the audience and leave them anxious to spend more time with a company in the Demonstrator Pavilion or in a private meeting.

As a Demo producer I frequently saw demonstrators overlook several obvious ingredients for effective presentations; focusing on minutiae at the expense of the obvious or worse yet, outright failure to demonstrate how a technology or feature saves time or money. Demo’s audience (particularly investors) want market details. Any pitch AT Demo’s needs to include the value of the target market and how a company can mine the market.

The need to rapidly identify the value of a market opportunity and to quickly differentiate a product is critical for the Alpha Pitch companies—the newest class of Demo companies. Because Alpha pitch slots are limited to 90 seconds every moment counts for these young start-ups. I believe The most important thing alpha [pitch companie can do to prepare for Demo is to hone their elevator pitches to a razor’s edge and memorize important market drill down information for questions in the Pavilion.

On stage pitches are important, but the importance of preparing for Pavilion Demos can be more important. Grabbing the attention of potential investors as they fly through the Pavilion requires a combination of finesse and showmanship. One of the strategies I recommend is to burn the pitch and all takeaway promotional material—including logos—on a thumb drive and give those away in the Pavilion.

The best way to launch a company or product at Demo is to rehearse in front of someone who can critically dissemble and time the pitch. But the pitch demonstrators use in the Pavilion is as important as any on-stage presentation. And pavilion pitches are one-on-one experiences, an can result in funding opportunities.

Demo has always been a time sensitive snap shot of an industry. Demo 2012 kicks off in Mid-April as the economy is rising. I’m looking forward to the event. If you’re launching a new company at Demo, look me up. I’ll be onsite April 16th and I’m looking for exciting companies to write about. Jim Forbes on March 22, 2012.

Apple computer is a driving force in consumer electronics. It also has the distinction of being the one technology company that often builds products for itself. Apple’s new third-generation iPad is a great example. Its upgraded screen and display technologies absolutely improve the lean-forward tablet computing experience.

But there is an element of Apple’s 4G iPad platform that I think reveals a flaw in Apple’s strategy. The error is a belief that 4G support is critical. It’s not and here’s why. 4G isn’t available nationally (or even regionally here in CA). Moreover, 4G increases both the acquisition and lifetime costs of hardware. And the cost of adding 4G to a device comes at a time when tablet makers understand that the tablet market is price sensitive and consumers are looking for bargains.

Carriers such as AT&T, Verizon and others want business professionals to adopt 4G connectivity en masse. But data plans are expensive, and in many cases the amount of 4G data you can send or receive is capped.

The cost of equipping mobile professionals is not insignificant, and I’m sure that Apple’s execs and marketing execs do not pay their cell phone bills with personal checks. I am not an absolute 4G opponent. My complaint is the disconnect between product designers and marketing executives that filters out the increased cost of the feature

To be completely honest, one of the best portable computing experiences I’ve had was a Lenovo X60 with an integrated cell modem, writing and filing a story from a hilltop above Fuller Lake CA with a line of sight view to a Verizon cell tower. Although I was able to maintain a connection with enough bandwidth to download graphics the connection wasn’t fast enough to watch YouTube videos.

Frankly watching a movie on a 4G connection is troublesome. Long pauses for buffering make me realize the value of solid 802.11 n wireless connections. Pauses in data streams interfere with the lean-forward experience. But a new iPad is here. I was interested enough in it today to wait 20 minutes to play with it. It’s well built and its display is a genuine “wow!” I like its USB port and solid construction. But what I really admire is Apple’s software upgrades. In fact, I admire that so much, I wish all tablet makers would copy the experience.

Has Apple ever built products for itself before? You bet it has. The original Macintosh and Macintosh Plus as well as Apple Newton (Gulp!) are part of that legacy.—Jim Forbes on 03/12/2012

Sometimes is takes me a little time bit to digest what I’ve seen at Demo. Three companies at the cutting edge of consumer and enterprise segments markets that really stood out were Gimme and Daily Digital Storefront for Facebook and BringShare,

If there’s one launch that knocked my socks off, it was Gimme, which is the first mobile commerce platform I’ve seen that opens a pipeline between consumers and retailers.

Gimme does the one thing that captures consumers attention, it provides an immediate cash advantage for using coupons. It’s primary instrument for this is the ubiquitous cell phone.

Virtually all new cell phones can read and capture QR and bar codes. Gimme lets its users capture those codes and deposit cash from cash back offers directly into PayPal accounts or opt to receive a check.

Alternatively, people with older cell phones that don’t support bar code reading can use their cameras phones to capture an image of the QR code and then transmit the image back to Gimme’s site.

Gimme also offers something for retailers-- a software platform for popular tablet computrs that lets retailers directly connect and make offers to consumers. Gimme’s technology works with Apple iPhone and Google Android hardware.

Gimme is the first platform to connect retailers and consumers in mobile commerce couponing, although another start-up, Pushpins Inc, is in use at select Safeway stores. PushPinsties into Safeway’s customer loyalty program and supports electronic couponing. However initially PushPins is limited to supermarkets,. Where Gimme id open to any retailer who wants to open a pipeline to all consumers.

It’s been years since I’ve been really impressed with a mobile commerce platform, but I feel Gimme may have been the most important technology start-up at Demo Fall 201.

More specifically, I believe Gimme is a harbinger of mobile commerce platforms to come and its first-in market position could payoff in the coming years.

Daily Digital Storefronts was another memorable Demo Fall 2011 standout. Daily Digital’s software turns Facebook pages into virtual storefronts that artists and others can use to promote, distribute and sell their digital work. This start-up has an obvious market and using Facebook as a pipeline between artists and consumers is straightforward idea.

What made Daily Digital’s launch an eye popping stand out was how simple its software makes creating Facebook pages with original digital content while protecting the artist’s Intellectual Property and selecting a compensation model.

My first reaction to this Demonstrator was to compare it to an updated version of Garage Band-- a start-up funded in the 1990’s by New Enterprise Associates that languished because it never demonstrated a valid revenue model.

My second reaction was Daily Digital’s Facebook Storefront has a clearly understood path to revenue and multiple mid-term exit strategies.

There was an enterprise application that shined like a lighthouse at Demo Fall2011-- BringShare. This dashboard software simplifies the complex task marketing department analysts face when compiling weekly metrics on campaigns and marketing programs.

BringShare works by connecting ita dashboard interface to feeds like those provided by Google Analytics.

BringShare’s feeds can be used to generate charts or statistical reports with minimal user intervention.

What’s important about BringShare is how easy it makes creating near real time marketing lead generation reports. In many organizations this is a task that takes hours of work by a dedicated data analyst. BringShare cuts the time it takes to generate such reports to minutes.

Of all the demonstrations I wanted to see in Demo’s Pavillion, BringShare’s pitch lacked a clear path to success message. Nevertheless, BringShare has such obvious advantages it’s difficult to imagine it not attracting solid investors or big-name backers

I need to disclose something before I close this post. I was the founding producer of Demo Mobile (which became Demo Fall) but no longer have a fiduciary or other relationshp with IDG-- which initially backed Demo. Additionally, I have no relationship with either of the private entities thst produce the Demo events.--Jim Forbes on 09/23/2011.

For today Apple owns the tablet computing market, but a menacing horse is actively stalking the category with a product that won’t appear until later this year.

The stalking horse approaching Apple at a full gallop is Google and its Android 3.0 operating system.

At CES earlier this month you couldn’t escape tablet computer announcements, most of which were running on top of prerelease versions of Android 3.0.

The runaway winning hardware product announcement at CES was Motorola’s Xoom which on spec sheet claims alone—appears to set the bar for competition against Apple’s iPad. It’s based on a dual core processor and supports displays with resolutions as great as 1.280 by 800 pixels, In theory, the Xoom has the capability to earn fame as a top-flight media machine and Motorola is not a newcomer to consumer electronics, as evidenced by its recent Android-powered smart phone launches.

Apple has a well deserved reputation as a hard charging sprinter It also has an enviable handicap of being able to rely on grandstand sized crowds of brand loyal buyers. But, the sheer size of the projected tablet computer market ( predicted by some of the more reliable analyst firms to be in the scores of millions of units) can work against Apple because of some of its “Here’s What We KnowYou Need” industrial design and other traditions.

Google, on the other hand, is in the tablet computing market as an operating system vendor and is hardware agnostic. Furthermore, Google’s Android team is headed by one of the most experienced smart phone designers, Andy Rubin, a former Apple manager.

Although Google hasn’t faired well in consumer-related plays, its strategy to capture market using a platform play gives it a huge backfield to overtake and leave Apple and its iPad mired in the mud.

And Google’s Android has the legs to open daylight between its licensees and Apple.

Although the starters are faunching at their bits in the tablet PC starting gate, the bell won’t sound for several months, by which time Apple could be ready place its second generation thoroughbred iPad in this huge claiming race.

I’m not about to place the proceeds of a home equity loan on the results of a race between an Apple thoroughbred and a field of mudders, but I’m looking forward to the derby.—Jim Forbes on 01/20/2011/

This year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas should be called the 2011 Touch and Tablet Computing extravaganza.

There have been as many as 20 new touch interface-based computers shown by CES vendors, most of whom are rushing to grab small claims in a verdant mother lode that today belongs almost exclusively to Apple.

Apple is a formidable competitor and although it has made marketing mistakes in the past, you can’t argue with the long term success of either its technologies or its core products.

the tablet computer stampede this week the contest could end up like heavy equipment racing up a steep incline to see which earth mover grabs a tiny parking space near the crest of a mountain.

And while the newcomers stake their claims, Apple will just continue to extract high grade from the market.

The key questions for any tablet maker who wants to compete against Apple with an iPad competitor are:

Do they have a reliable supplier of capacitive touch screens

If they’re going to compete, how small a profit are they willing to take on each device.

What innovation can a tablet maker bring to market to outshine Apple’s iPad?

What’s needed in tablet computing that Apple doesn’t provide now and what can be added to a new device without exceeding Apple’s $499 entry price point?

The most important thing about new tablet computers will be their pricing and matching Apple’s feature matrix. To compete against Apple I suspect most companies will come in with retail pricing $100 to $150 below Apple’s $499 entry level iPad. Competing on features could be a much easier task, beginning with adding more USB ports to basic designs and supporting Adobe data types.

What’s really apparent from CES is that most PC makers wont be in the market for months to come but when they do begin shipping Apple will face an all-out challenge from Google and an ever expanding stable of companies hooked to the Android 3.3 (aka “Honeycomb”) operating system. Also in the wings is Microsoft, with its next release of Windows and its decade’s long commitment to touch computing.

Forrester Research this week predicted that over the next several years tablet computer sales will reach 44 million units in 2015—double its predictions made for the form factor last June.

Acer, Hewlett Packard, Toshiba and many others have now announced their plans for tablet computers But few units are expected to reach consumers’ hands before mid-2011.Suych companies, however could face a hard fought battle with Apple, which is rumored to be working on bolstering its iPad lineup in the coming months—Jim Forbes 01/04/2011.